Gilroy resident Matt Tait hired as new GHS boys basketball
coach.
Matt Tait is confident in what he does. He trusts in his coaching abilities and passes along that assuredness to his players.
Winning has become a theme wherever he has been., and a trend that Gilroy High fans will want to stick.
Tait, 32, a Gilroy resident for the past six years, was recently hired as the new varsity boys basketball head coach, taking over for the likable Jeremy Dirks, who spent two seasons at the helm.
If nothing else, Tait and Dirks share one thing in common – they are both tall.
“I guess that comes with the territory,” said Tait, a graduate of Carroll College in Montana, where he played two years of NAIA ball.
“I’m a pretty confident person with what I do,” he said. “I’m OK with the way I coach and my philosophies. I try to teach the whole kid. I want to make sure the kids are better people when they leave, not just better basketball players. That’s a big part of it, to incorporate life lessons along with the X’s and O’s.”
Tait grew up in the San Jose area and graduated from Westmont High School where he was an all-league selection twice, playing varsity three seasons.
As a 6-foot-5 post player, Tait suited up for West Valley before his stay with the Fighting Saints.
After dabbling in the business field, Tait decided to switch gears and earned his credential from San Jose State University.
During his studies, Tait served as assistant coach at West Valley (2002-05), helping head coach Danny Yoshikawa lead the Vikings to a 30-4 record in 2005 and a berth in the state championship game.
“I got the coaching bug,” Tait said.
Tait has spent the last four years at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino where he turned a program, which hadn’t had a playoff appearance in the four years prior to his arrival, into a perennial postseason invitee. The Matadors captured two league titles and made four straight playoffs under Tait’s watch.
“We are really excited to have Matt,” GHS athletic director Jack Daley said. “He brings a level of experience that will help bring our program to the next level. He had a great deal of success at Monta Vista and comes highly recommended.”
When the job at GHS opened up, the combination of location and competition caught the interest of Tait.
“I’d come down a couple times a year because we always ended up with a T-CAL team in the playoffs,” he said. “It’s a competitive league. I know the type of kids you get down here. I know what to expect with the area. It’s more small town and you get more community involvement.
“I live here, I have two little ones,” Tait added. My wife’s whole family is here.”
Tait and his wife Sarah, a teacher, have two young children, Addison, 3, and Emma, 3 months. Tait will continue teaching physical education at Monta Vista.
Bringing an up-and-down tempo with an in-your-face defensive mentality, Tait and a chunk of the 2010-11 Mustangs have been hard at work in a summer league, getting used to each other in the process.
“It’s a good group of kids outside of basketball skills, so I think it will be a fun team to coach,” he said. “Talent wise, we have good numbers. I like to play a lot of kids. I think we have some good talent. If everybody comes around and buys in, I think it will be a good season.”
There are four months until fall practice officially opens, but it is never too early to prepare.
“I’m really into effort and intensity from the kids,” Tait said. “You can’t control skill once you get to the game, but there are certain things you can control all the time, like the effort you put in.”
